Sweetheart pin cushion

‘Sweetheart’ pin cushion with patchwork stuck with pins and beads including the verse 'Forget Me Not'. Also with images of Sir Charles Warren, Lord Kitchener, Colonel Baden Powell and Major General Sir William Gatacre, celebrated British generals of the South African War. ‘Sweetheart’ pin cushions were produced by convalescing service personnel as mementoes for loved ones back home as a token of affection. Early examples date back to the late nineteenth century but most surviving pin cushions were produced by recuperating wounded or sick soldiers during the First World War (1914-1918). As well as decorative beadwork and embroidery, the pin cushions can include unit insignia, poetry, mottoes and other expressions of love. Some cushions were decorated from commercially available kits, while others were made from scratch using cloth from feed sacks, stuffing, pins, felt, and cigarette cards.